welcome back on this monday morning, february 25th, 2013. it is the morning after the oscars. inside studio 1a here in new york, i'm willie geist along with natalie morales. our resident oscar party animals, al roker anderedith vieira are still going in l.a. just now recovering from their stupors. >> ouch! >> how are you hold iing up? >> they call me stupor man. >> you've seen this clip, we know. we want to show some of our viewers.

jennifer lawrence who won best actress last night, before the show on the red carpet with all the stars that were there said there's only one person she really wanted to see. >> i want to see al roker. i used to watch him like every day before school. >> of all the people you could possibly see, al roker? >> it means something to me personally. >> what does he mean to you other than what's happening in your neck of the woods? >> actors are great but i love al roker. i want to see him. >> every morning he's happy. >> i can be al roker. >> here comes the weather. >> hey, jennifer, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> hey! >> piers morgan is trying to get her to change her answer. she will not back down. she wants to meet al roker. >> no, she won't. she has a solid backbone and she will not be brow beaten by a guy with a name of something that a ship pulls into. >> oh. >> and her favorite man is you, i think. >> i got to meet her. >> yeah. >> for the golden globes. she wasn't feeling well. we had a nice time.

just a very -- seems like a very nice young lady. >> she does. >> really has her head on straight. >> she was my favorite moment from last night, if i can just add that. when she fell -- not because she fell. i felt bad for her. >> you're jump iing ahead becau willie wants to save that -- >> no, that's okay. >> transition, go with it, meredith. go with it. >> well, anyway, because she handled it so well. she was so charming and adorable. remember she had that mishap at the golden globes where people thought her dress had torn? she has that routine working for her. >> such a great sense of humor. >> that's it. she's self depricating. >> i loved how she answered the reporters backstage who asked her what she was thinking in that moment. she was like really? well, it starts with an f. >> good thing she held that. >> pretty good. >> i have to say, i -- i mean,

obviously, it was on a different note but my favorite moment was the in memoriam, seeing the people that had been lost over the year, who have made such memorable movies and ending with barbra streisand singing "memories." >> you never see her performing, very rarely. >> i know. >> that was beautiful. >> in a room full of the biggest stars in the world, she comes out there and everyone is just captivated. she still owns that room. how about you, nat? >> since the oscars were all about music on film, my favorite moment -- you know how much i love "les mis." >> here we go. are you going to start crying? >> no, i'm not going to cry, but the whole cast came out and sang together a medley from the movie and it was just magnificent. they all nailed it, including russell crowe. it was great. >> yeah. the music was great. all the years of the bond film all the way through to adele.

>> and shirley bassey singing "goldfinger," wow! >> she still has that voice. she nailed it. >> what was your favorite moment? >> near the end of the night, ben affleck's acceptance speech. he came up there with that same youthful exuberant speech, with a beard. from that moment in 1998 down to a bit of a career trough and back up. the way he explained it and talked about working through it. >> and his message about no grudges at a time, of course, when he was snubbed by the oscars for best director but his film went on to win anyway. his message was so important and so powerful. great reminder to all of us. >> i love how he addressed his wife, too. >> and how you pick yourself up. by the way, the handwriting on his hand, as we reported earlier, his little girls had written messages, i heart you

dad. >> got me right there. >> take two, a lot of people talking about the host last night, seth mcfarlane. he hosted the oscars for the first time last night, began with a big introduction of captain kirk, to help fix his opening monologue. he showed off his talent. you know him as a funny guy. last night they saw him sing, dance, do a little stand-up comedy. the reviews were mixed but the truth is in this day and age on twitter -- >> it's always mixed. >> it's more than mixed. everyone is a hater. >> that's true. >> what's the impression from l.a. about the job he did? >> i don't know. it's funny. i was hearing from people around, he did a pretty good job. then you start reading the reviews and it's like, whoa, i guess we're in a bubble here. it's a thankless job. >> i think we pointed out before, you can't win with it. anything criticism wise was that opening went a little long. they wanted to get into the show. what a talented guy he is,

singing and dancing. >> he can really sing. the oscars really trying to appeal to the younger generation. >> sure. >> as a host, that would bring that audience in. he definitely grew on me as the evening wore on. i think that opening bit, 17 minutes long. i love william shatner, but that just went on and on and on. >> do we have numbers yet? >> i think it's too early. >> we have not yet. a guy that a lot of people there don't know. he is not necessarily one of them. he came into their world and blew it up a little bit. i think it was jarring to some people, some of the jokes. that's who he is. that's his style. >> a little bit crass. that's what you expect from a comedian. that's his humor. >> it's nothing worse than probably -- actually not as bad as what ricky gervais did the first year at the golden globes. >> that's it for him. >> he dropped the mike. take three, first lady of the

united states, what a weekend she had. we'll talk about her at the oscars last night in a second. in case you missed it friday night, this is the first lady on "late night with jimmy fallon" performing the evolution of mom dancing. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> put a ring on it. >> meredith, any of these dances look familiar to you from any recent family gatherings? >> you're very funny, willie. >> i'm just asking a question. i'm a journalist.

i'm asking questions. >> it would have been better had she done this at the inaugural ball. that would have been great. >> actually, the leno show did something like that. they had -- >> how about jimmy fallon? he kind of looks like a cute girl is all i'm going to say. >> wow! i think you have to define cute girl. >> driving the station wagon. >> i like the botched electric slide. no one ever does it correctly. here it is, the out of sync electric slide. hits close to home. so that's the first lady on friday night. fast forward about 48 hours. last night she makes a surprise cameo at the oscars to help jack nicholson present the award for best picture as it went to "argo." we showed you some of ben affleck before. a lot of people surprised to see the first lady as well. >> everybody. >> totally surprised. >> everybody shocked. as it turns out harvey weinstein

had a big part in that. they had a meeting at the white house two weeks ago they kept a real lid on that. >> at least she didn't say and the which were is "argo" blank yourself. >> see, you could have stopped right there. >> reel her in, al. reel her in. >> too late. i've got to give her the sprinkler. >> there you go. staying with the movie theme for our bonus take, i understand one natalie morales has a role in the upcoming film "rio 2." will we see you at the oscars next year? >> my role wasn't quite that big. i'm doing voice overs. >> cameo voice overs. >> that's right. i'm going to play myself, a newscaster, talking about some big news from brazil, the whole gang from "rio" is back, including anne hathaway, jesse eisenburg, tracy morgan and really great plot line. they're now married. they have three little babies and they're taking them to the

amazon forest just so they can experience what it's like to be in the real wild. >> cool. what was it like? you go in the booth by yourself? >> i haven't done it yet. soon i will. al, maybe youould give me some advice. he does animation all the time. >> me, too. >> meredith has done it, too. it's kind of weird. you're in a booth and usually the director is somewhere else. and talks to you over the headset. tells you, okay, that was just perfect but we're losing some of the fun. do it again. >> we need more motivation. what's your motivation. >> very cool. we'll look for that. >> april 14th or april 2014 rather it comes out. >> meredith, al, we'll let you get some bloody marys, little hair of the dog. talk to you later on. >> they'll have fashion coming up in a little bit. >> natalie, how about the other top stories in the news this morning? top cardinal keith o'brien will not take part in the conclave to choose the successor of pope benedict.

he was accused of inappropriate conduct. the conclave is scheduled to begin earlier than originally thought. pope benedict remarked that he will be serving the church in a more appropriate way for his age. nascar ended sunday with jimmie johnson winning his second daytona 500. danica patrick, who made history as first woman to start a sprint cup race from the pole position finished in eighth place. saturday, though, a spectacular crash during the nascar race at that same track sent debris into the stands, injuring more than it two dozen spectators. more legal troubles for the pistorius family this morning as it's revealed that the so-called blade runner's older brother is facing vehicular manslaughter charges for the death of a woman in a 2008 traffic accident. meantime, oscar pistorius is

free on bail as he awaits trial for his murder charges in the death of girlfriend reeva steenkamp. secretary of state john kerry is meeting with british officials in london today on his first official overseas trip. they're discussing demands by syrian rebel s rebels to the u.. he meets with the foreign minister of russia. slow one at the box office. ooh "identity thief" regained the top spot earning just over $14 million. "snitch," with dwayne "the rock" johnson, 13ds million and the animated "escape from planet earth" came in third. you're up-to-date now. should we head back to l.a.? >> we should, with and a check of the weather. >> i'm doing some weather here. i'm sorry. i know you're talking fashion, but, uh -- wow! >> so do it.

>> let's show you what's happening right now. again, we've got a big storm system that's going to be causing snow to the north, a lot of rain to the south. as you can see it spinning up and causing big problems. we have blizzard warnings and winter storm warnings stretching from new mexico all the way into illinois. the snowfall is going to range anywhere from six to 12 inches of snow. we could see as much as a foot and a half in some local areas. and then we've got rain to talk about south of this system, the same system is going to bring a lot of rain stretching from new orleans all the way to charleston and everywhere in between. we've got flash flood watches and flash flood warnings as well. we'll be looking at a lot of rain in areas that have already seen three to five inches. they'll pick up another three to >> good morning.ain, as it will be a nice day today.

generally sunday. temperatures will be quite a run average for this time of >> and that's your -- can i do it? >> i'm quiet. >> okay. willie? >> discipline there. >> yikes. >> al, thanks. coming up next, who was hot and maybe not so much on the red carpet? that's after this. >> they're all hot. ♪ [ jen garner ] what skincare brand is so effective... so trusted... so clinically proven dermatologists recommend it twice as much as any other brand? neutrogena®.

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all the red carpet fashion. the executive fashion and beauty editor at harper's bazaar. welcome, ladies. >> hi. >> let's start with your overall impression. zbl . >> i think it's a really good idea. no real clunkers. >> and less is more this time around. >> i thought that was refreshing. the latest trends have been stack more, statement ring, statement necklace. it's a nice departure from that. >> you like jessica chastain. >> beautiful detail on a biased cut looking gown. difficult to wear. looked chic and gorgeous. >> you mentioned that was one of your choices. >> on fire. sculpted beautifully. even if you saw her just from the waist up, it was perfect. >> such an interesting -- the top was just unbelievable. >> absolutely. >> you liked reese witherspoon, new mom but walked it last

night. >> a head to toe moment, veronica lake curls beautifully done, elegant strapless gown. looked amazing post pregnancy in l louis vuitton. >> studio 54 fabulous. >> and she wore the kind of dress you would like to see more, avril lavigne. >> we want to see a little bit of glam. she's a young girl. she wore it with a very unfussy updo, carried it off well. again, top marks. >> one of the actresses with most buzz around her was jennifer lawrence and her dress. big dress and obviously got in her way when she was trying to climb the steps. >> she carried it nice. she looked amazing. it's trendy in so many different ways. it's interesting, though, because the color was a beautiful champagne pink, but it didn't pick it up in stills. in the video you could see how gorgeous the color was.

>> she looked great even tripping on the the steps. >> exactly. i want to talk about anne hathaway. you felt differently about her. he liked the dresk. >> prada-esque look. retro, audrey hepburn look i li liked it. i thought it was great. >> not so much for you? >> i have a problem with it just because when a couple of your body parts start trending on twitter and gets its own twitter handle, i think you need to do a little something there with the darting. i can't even look at it. so that was my -- >> look away. look away. and the surprise presenter, obviously, was mrs. obama. >> yeah. and doesn't she look fabulous? she favored kam with a deep beading. rocking those bangs. she looked fabulous. and just ahead the moment you didn't want to see on the

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> after a chilly start it should turn out to be a nice afternoon. sunny skies, maybe a few high, thin clouds. high temperatures between 44 and 49. we will start with dry weather early tomorrow. a little sleet mixed in at times.

♪ hey i just met you and this is crazy but here's my number so call me maybe it's hard to look right at you baby but here's my number so call me maybe ♪ ♪ hey i just met you and this is crazy but here's my number so call me maybe ♪ >> that's pretty good. >> yeah. >> that's meredith, getting the crowd going on leno the other night with "call me maybe." we just happen to have meredith here. what's the backstory? you didn't just spontaneously burst into song, did you, meredith? >> no, i did not. i could have, but i did not.

we were talking about me as a kid. i mentioned the glee club director told me when i was 9 years old to mouth the words and that really affected me and i want aid chance to redeem myself, which i did not do. you don't have to play it again. we heard it the first time. >> you have a sneaky good singing voice. we also know that you can dance. >> you need to learn the carly rae dance moves for that song, meredith. >> i have the mommy version of that. not doing it next year, i could do it. >> you could do it. i see the harlem shake coming. >> that's trouble for all of us. >> let's not do that again. >> we have more from hollywood's biggest night, ryan seacrest got a sneak peek of all the work that went into getting the red carpet ready for all the stars. >> cool. look forward to checking back in with you guys. one of my best friends from college is here in studio to offer a little friendly advice that will help all of us.

we continue our ball room debates, that you may be having, too, making the move for the queen and king size bed. >> go to the king. >> but you're miles apart. >> the kids climb in bed with you anyway and you need the room. >> you have to go -- you have to keep rolling to find them. >> exactly. exactly, al. >> you need the space. >> what do you have, a twin? >> separate bedrooms. >> we have bunk beds. >> good question. got the debate going already. >> i'm going to the weather. >> okay. take over, al. >> any more trouble. here is what we have as far as your week ahead is concerned. we are looking for wet weather along the eastern seaboard. snow back through the rockies. below normal temperatures through the plains and the rockies as well in the pacific

northwest. midweek period, above-normal temperatures in the northeast. snow in new england. below-normal temperatures in the middle part of the country. latter part of the week, those temperatures stay below normal. that same region look for above-normal temperatures throughout much of california and northeast and new england. that's what's going on th good morning. we will see plenty of sunshine. maybe some high, thin clouds this afternoon. >> and that's your latest weather. willie? >> al, thanks a lot. this morning, "today's" friendly advice. you probably have a friend who helps you through life's little dilemmas, makes you laugh a

little bit in the process. 20 years ago this fall, i met megan versailles when we went to college. she has a beautiful daughter and remains' great, hilarious friend to me and my wife. she is here to help me through some things. >> i got you a nice little orange. spicy, like you like it. >> you're trying to butter me up here. it's not going to work. >> i am. >> we'll have the conversations we normally have but in a fake living room. >> it's comfortable. >> king versus queen bed. what does it mean for intimacy in a marriage? i just moved from queen to king, and i have to excepted my wife postcards to communicate with her. she's so far away. >> obviously the queen bed is tight. you're cozy and -- it promotes intimacy. you're shoved up next to your mate, your partner, whoever is next to you. a girlfriend of mine was awoke by her husband who was breathing

on her in a queen bed. >> that's not sexy. >> but it's tight. you can't hide from your mate. but i'm a king-sized girl. it's like being upgraded to first class. you have options. you can recline, lay back, dip in and say hi to your mate, snuggle if you want to, but the option is that you can go to your respective sides. don't you want an option? >> why your saying it's good for you to get away from your husband to escape his heavy breathing. is that what you're saying? >> it's not that. you want to cozy on up and when you're done, you want to go to your other side and stretch out. >> so you're pro king. >> pro king. >> hudson, your daughter, is almost 2. i have a 5 and-year-old. our bed has become a wrestling ring and i will wake up in the middle of the night not realizing that there are two other human beings in the bed. >> they sleep horizontally. >> tess a family thing but not great for intimacy. we asked our viewers todayshow.com, is bigger better? the bigger bed gives you less

intimacy, 62%. >> you're right but at least you're in the same bed. let's be honest here. queen or king, at least you're in the same bed. if you're not in the same bed we have an issue. >> if you're blaming the bed for your intimacy problems you should have another conversation. >> slumber party. big one for people like us but also grandparents. how long is too long to leave the kids with the grandparents? overnight we're talking. >> a visit. is it an in-town grandparent or out n hf-town grandparent? in-town sees the kids all the time. out-of-town is excited to come. two to three nights is a max for out of towner or grandparents to come and stay overnight. i push the envelope and go for a five nighter. >> really? >> you have to offer options. make it like a vacation. here is the thing. offer babysitting, two nights of babysitting so they can go out on the town and rip it up. that's one option. stock the fridge with their

favorite items. >> like a vacation. >> mini bar at your house. >> except there's an 18-month-old with you. >> but i'm like, they don't know. it's like a facade. they're in an oasis. when you see the packed bags, what do you think? get out of dodge? >> we've got to get out. >> your parents come a couple of nights a week. >> after a two-night weekend i come back and they're ready to get rid of those kids, who they love. i will say that. our viewers said todayshow.com, one to two nights is the limit. >> i think it's a little chintzy. >> texting versus calling. everyone feels a little bit of this. are you in touch with your friends really if you only text them once in a while without hearing their voice and talking to them? >> you and i have not had a conversation since the '90s on the phone. we text, we e-mail. we spoke this morning. >> are we friends?

>> not really good friends. we are good friends. you can be walking the streets, see something that reminds you of somebody and you text them. i don't want to invest in a phone call. i just want to say, hey, bud, thinking of you. if you're on the show and you do a good job, hey, willie, good job this morning. it's like what up? there are other times when you should warrant the phone call. one, to say i'm sorry. you have to pick up the phone or do it in person. you can't text i'm sorry. that's kind of a cop out. the second one is if someone calls you, you have to call them back. you can't text them back, just got your message. >> right. >> if someone calls me, i won't listen to that voicemail till the end of the day. if someone texts me, i'll text you right back. >> christina, my wife, has a new rule, the missed call is the new voice mail. don't leave me a voice mail. >> i'm the texting queen. i am definitely guilty of this. when you pick up the phone it means, hey, i really want to talk to you. >> so are we friends? >> we are.

we had a 20-minute conversation. >> real quick we have to go. you have a bonus thing for me? >> this is wanding. we saw each other at dinner the other night and said you look so fabulous. i thought it was my ripped biceps. it was the wandation of my hair. i bought my gloves. >> why three fingers? >> you're not going to burn the edges. you pick it up and wand over and slide off. it's very hot. i don't want my hair to fall out. >>. it's a one-handing wand. my husband doesn't know what i do in my bathroom but when i come out it's like voila. >> and take care of your 18-month-old. >> megan, good advice as always. good to know we're friends despite the texting. >> love you, willie. >> love you, too. ryan seacrest on the red carpet after this. where food isn't always available? one in five. breakfast is essential in giving our kids

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>> so we're actually here on hollywood boulevard. this red carpet is in the middle of the street. there are 400 members of the media represented for the oscars and, look, they're already getting set up. this is where 700 lucky fans get a front row seat to watch all the stars as they enter the theater in their dresses and tuxes. thank you very much, adele. have fun. good luck tonight. this is where i stand for the red carpet arrivals and this is our e! team right here, this little compartment is all the space you get. all hard work has been done. now, ladies and gentlemen, it's show time. what was today like? >> today was stressful and i had no time to eat. i am starving. >> at 9 years old, what's this experience like for you?

>> it has been crazy. >> i take it you guys became close on this project. >> yes, indeed. >> yes. well, he's my son. i tied his bow tie in the car. >> your hair looks amazing. >> i spent a lot of hair drying -- >> looks really good. >> thank you. >> and that is a rap. for "today," ryan seacrest on the oscar red carpet. >> a lot of fun. we've got a lot more coming up on "today" right after this. you know what, while we're waiting why don't we play a game of hide and seek? right now? yeah go hide. go on buddy. one, two... [ son ] come and find me! three! [ son ] are you even looking for me? i am looking! [ male announcer ] bite-sized chicken's grown up. kfc bites. freshly hand-breaded big bites of premium breast meat, seasoned in the colonel's original recipe. try 10 bites with an 8 piece meal for $19.99. [ son ] dad? [ male announcer ] today tastes so good. behaves like the surface of your skin. now watch what soap does to it.

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on september 15th, 1963 that started as a normal sunday morning but in a deadly burst of dynamite it became a sechlt min day. four young girls were killed in the bombing. surviving the bombing, featured in a new documentary "march to justice." >> i heard the rumble of the thunder and an explosion. i heard the glass come crashing in and someone said "hit the floor." and right here i fell on the floor. everyone in the church just fell on the floor. and it was deathly quiet. >> reverend carol mckinstry joins us this morning. so good to see you. >> thank you. >> the 50th anniversary of this bombing comes up in september this year. how vivid are your memories half a century later? >> the memories are very clear in my mind. it was as if it were yesterday.

>> what do you remember about those little girls? three of them age 13, one of them only 11. can you tell us a little bit about them? >> yes. what i remember most was that they were laughing and combing hair. my last visit of them when i passed the bathroom. i was very close to all of them. denise's dad taught me in ninth grade. we were close to these families. we were intimately involved in the families and the children. and we were excited that day. we had a club meeting that would have taken place after church. so that's my last memory, just seeing them there, combing their hair, excited about all that the day was holding. it was also youth day. >> it was youth day which meant you and those other girls were sort of running the service that morning. >> yes. >> that's why there were so many little girls close to where that bomb exploded. you know, being there in 1963, you felt the fire hoses. part of your home was damaged from a bombing across the street

from your house. can you describe the climate in birmingham in 1963 for people who weren't there, weren't alive or just don't know the history as well? >> well, this was a very dark and difficult time. it was described by many as a place of hard core resistance. but primarily i saw it as a city that had a lot of patriots and because of that, we witnessed these bombings, all types of other crimes against people that were very frightening. it was a frightening time if you were a young person growing up because you never knew what the day would bring. sometimes i would tell people that bombing was a way of life in birmingham. the church bombing was just one of many. in fact, the records say 80 bombings had occurred by the time we had the church bombing. but we had become used to the sound. when we heard it, we knew what it was. and it was a way of life. it was very frightening and so forth, but the memories are

still there. >> and that day with his a catalyst nationally. the civil rights act passed the next year. what did it mean to your life personally? how did it shape the path your life took from that moment forward? >> this represented a very pivotal point not only in the life of our city and nation but for me as well. i think it was the point at which i decided, as best you can at 15, 16, but in later years it would be something that i would never forget. but it was a pivotal point in that i decided that i would try to do as much as i could to change the world, to show that we could accomplish so much more with love and kindness than with the hatred. >> the film is great and it's important. and i'm so grateful you're here to share the story of those four little girls. thank you. reverend carolyn mckinstry "march to justice" airs on investigation discovery. that's tonight at 7:00. and we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

coming up next, they are back in new york. and this place will not be the same. kathie lee and hoda with more oscar coverage. >> we missed them, though. >> yes, we did. tomorrow, the dress star randi fanoli and jill martin is back with her steals and deals. >> but first your local news and weather.